Aleyda Solis discusses product SEO strategies at the E-commerce Conference, emphasizing the importance of optimizing product pages to enhance visibility and conversion rates. Key points include handling URL structures, addressing inventory issues, avoiding content cannibalization, and effectively managing product lifecycle changes. Tools and techniques for monitoring and improving the SEO performance of product pages are also highlighted.

1. #productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
#productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
SEO For Changing Product Pages
How to Optimize your Online Store Products URLs
#productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti

2. #productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
All
paths
of
your
store
lead to your products
pages,
which
can
make
or
break
conversions
#productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti

3. #productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
Your
products pages are valuable
to
attract
bottom
of
the
funnel
searches
semrush

4. #productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
How do noise cancelling
headphones work?
Guides & Resources Pages
brand.com/guides/headphones/noise-cancelling
Categories, Brands & Facets Pages
brand.com/headphones/noise-cancelling/
brand.com/bose/headphones/noise-cancelling/
Products Pages
brand.com/bose/headphones/700/
2,9K Searches/Month
40,5K Searches/Month
Bose noise cancelling headphones
8,1K Searches/Month
Wireless noise cancelling headphones
22,2K Searches/Month
Bose noise cancelling
headphones 700
SEARCH JOURNEY VS. CONTENT FUNNEL
AWARENESS
CONSIDERATION
PURCHASE
… that not only have a higher purchase intent,
but can also have non-trivial search volume

5. #productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
moz
Product
pages tend to
be also highly
shared and
a
magnet for
backlinks

6. #productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
semrush
That can make them some
of your top pages traffic wise too!

7. #productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
sistrix
However, due to their high volume and always
changing inventory, is easy to generate errors

8. #productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
Caused
by
a
lack
of
consistency
when
handling
their
HTTP
status
#productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti

9. #productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
As well as
internal linking
issues, by
pointing to
non-indexable
products URLs
#productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti

10. #productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
#productseo at #smxwest by @aleyda from @orainti
Making you to lose traffic and money opportunities
#productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti

11. #productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
Products pages are also known to suffer
from content cannibalization issues …

12. #productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
… making Google to leave them out of the
index, while consuming your crawl budget

13. #productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
So much opportunity, but with challenges!

14. #productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
#productseo at #smxwest by @aleyda from @orainti
Let’s
see
how to handle products
optimization challenges to minimize SEO
issues & maximize benefits
#productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti

15. #productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
#productseo at #smxwest by @aleyda from @orainti
When a
product is
released…
#productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti

16. #productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
#productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
Before creating
a new
URL,
establish rules to
validate if the
product existed
in the past to
leverage its old
URL instead

17. #productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
#productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
If the
product is just a variation of an existing one, it
can become a non-indexable attribute of same page…

18. #productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
#productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
Check if the characteristics target specific queries w/
search volume worthy to index and rank for

19. #productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
Some
marketplaces
prefer to
consolidate the
same products
from many sellers
in a single
indexable URL to
avoid inventory/
cannibalization
struggles

20. #productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
#productseo at #smxwest by @aleyda from @orainti
#productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
If they’re worthy to rank independently, differentiate
them to be relevant to target their characteristics
Title & Meta
Description
Product
Description
Product
Heading
Title & Meta
Description
Product
Description
Product
Heading

21. #productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
#productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
Enable them to be listed and linked from relevant
indexable category/sub-category & brand pages

22. #productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
#productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
Making sure that they fit from a topic and hierarchy
perspective, with a clear navigation path

23. #productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
Don’t link to
canonicalized
Category URLs
#productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
These categories/facets should be linked through
their canonical URLs, avoiding to add parameters

24. #productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
Don’t link to
canonicalized
Product URLs
#productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
Linking and including in XML sitemaps only original
products URLs to pass value & avoid crawl budget waste

25. #productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
#productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
Highlighting further as the latest release, besides
making them easily findable via internal search

26. #productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
Use the
final product
URL to promote
it previous
launch
#productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
When “pre-launching” a product, use the same
URL that the product will have when sold

27. #productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
https://developers.google.com/search/docs/data-types/product
Use product structured data to specify your products
characteristics and expand their SERP snippet…

28. #productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/7439058?hl=en
Create and submit your products feeds via Google
Merchant center to maximize visibility

29. #productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
When a
product is
sold…
#productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti

30. #productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
#productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
Monitor if the products pages rank for too broad
queries, causing cannibalization issues

31. #productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
#productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
They can
negatively affect
not only their
own rankings
but also
give a
sub-optimal
experience with
a too specific
page

32. #productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
vs
#productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
This can help identify relevance & differentiation
issues between products & categories

33. #productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
#productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
Or also
linking
mismatch
between the
relevant
category vs.
the product
pages

34. #productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
#productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
As well as to detect a lack of indexable categories/
facets that should target these queries

35. #productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
#productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
Like in this case, since they’re targeted by
indexable internal search results instead

36. #productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
#productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
Facets should become indexable if there are
enough products to feature and search potential

37. #productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
#productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
Should I index a Sub-Category/Faceted Page?
Index
Don’t
Index
No
Are there enough
speci
fi
c products
featured in the
sub-category/
facet to offer?
No
Yes
Yes
Demand
Supply
Avoid
products
competing with
categories/
facets by
indexing facets
based on supply
& demand
Does the sub-
category/facet have
non-trivial search
volume worthy to
target?

38. #productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
Copy.ai
.. while making
sure to feature
specifically
relevant, unique
descriptions..
leverage new
content
generation
software to
scale!

39. #productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
Incentivize user
generated
content: reviews,
ratings, questions
and answers too,
that will also help
conversions

40. #productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
#productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
When a
product goes
out of stock…

41. #productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
#productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
All links
going to any
out of stock
products as
well as internal
search and
XML sitemap
inclusion should
be eliminated

42. #productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
#productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
If it’s a temporary
status or you’re
unsure, the
product page
should remain
indexable,
allowing users to
be notified when
it comes back,
recommending
related products

43. #productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
#productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
The product page structured data & feeds should
show the latest status, including “out of stock”

44. #productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
#productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
If it’s a permanent “out of stock” and the old product
has a new version, 301-redirect to the new one
301 redirect to new
product page, while
alerting users.
Update internal links, XML
sitemaps and product
feeds

45. #productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
Add a
notification when
redirecting
explaining the out
of stock status
to the user
#productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
…If there isn’t a new version but page has backlinks,
traffic, rankings, 301-redirect to parent category

46. #productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
#productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
Another option is 301-redirecting to a similar product
but can cause chain redirects in the long run

47. #productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
Don’t do
this
#productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
Avoid
302 redirects to
make sure you
pass the old
product page
value while
making sure the
destination
actually works
and is relevant

48. #productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
#productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
Don’t show 404s for out of stock products w/
backlinks, you miss value & give bad experience

49. #productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
Personalize
your error page
to be usable
and relevant
#productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
You can use 410 http status for permanent out of
stock pages with no backlinks nor rankings/traffic

50. #productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
#productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
All internal links, internal search, XML sitemaps and
feeds inclusion of these URLs should be eliminated

51. #productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
#productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
Set rules in your platform to tackle these scenarios
systematically whenever products change

52. #productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
ryte
Schedule continuous crawls to run & be delivered
automatically to identify remaining issues

53. #productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
Little Warden and ContentKing
Set real
time SEO
monitoring and
alerts, to be
warned if your
product pages
change their
status

54. #productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
Little Warden and ContentKing
Integrate
Web
traffic
and
rankings
data
to
alerts
validations,
prioritizing
the
ones
of
those
product
pages
with
certain
minimum
value

55. #productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
Zapier and Integromat
Set the
alerts to be
directly delivered
to your
communication or
PM system to
facilitate their
validation

56. #productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
#productseo at #smxwest by @aleyda from @orainti
#productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
It’s about aligning your products
optimization to their
inventory lifecycle

57. #productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
#productseo at #smxwest by @aleyda from @orainti
#productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
T
o
miminize
crawlability,
indexability,
rankings
and
user
search
experience
issues…

58. #productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
#productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
…
while
maximizing
their
impact
and
value
from
an
organic
traffic
and
conversion
perspective

59. #productseo at #ecommerceconference by @aleyda from @orainti
www.orainti.com
orainti.com
I’m Aleyda Solis
* SEO Consultant & Founder at Orainti
* SEO Speaker at +100 Events in +20 countries
* Author “SEO. Las Claves Esenciales.”
* Crawling Mondays Video & Podcast Series Host
* #SEOFOMO Newsletter Wrangler
* Maker LearningSEO.io
* European Search Personality of the Year in 2018
* remoters.net Co-Founder
Thanks! Questions?